Fashion shows don’t get any hotter, or more profitable, than the holiday catwalk extravaganza Max Martinez did for Volunteers of America.
Few things last forever, though, and after a six-year run that raised $500,000 for Brandon Center, Martinez reluctantly informed VOA that the monumental task of moving his MAX boutique from one Cherry Creek North location to another wouldn’t allow him to do a Year 7.
After a moment of panic — Brandon Center, a 118-bed refuge for women with children who’d otherwise be homeless as they escape from domestic violence, is always full and its upkeep is both expensive and critical — VOA staffer Jim White took a deep breath and reviewed his options.
Fashion shows, he soon realized, happen left and right in Denver, but the only other one that’s as popular or as spectacular as the MAX show is the summertime Riverfront Park Fashion Series produced by Tobie Orr.
So he gave her a jingle.
They talked. They had coffee. They negotiated. They e-mailed and texted and talked some more.
And, after several long months, came a happy ending:
The seventh VOA Holiday Fashion Show at EXDO Event Center on Dec. 4 is a Tobie Orr production with clothing from Mariel, Garbarini and Lawrence Covell, and some favorite elements from the Riverfront series.
Like the Sponsor Cabanas. Priced from $2,500, they seat 10 and will be catered with top-shelf beverages and snacks. Four-seat cabaret tables go for $500 and offer an above-the- crowd view of the runway and a complimentary beverage.
“There’s no way we can ever thank Max for everything he did for the women and children at Brandon Center,” White says. “The shows raised a lot of money, and they enabled us to introduce a new, younger crowd to VOA and the human services it provides statewide.”
As a token of gratitude, VOA installed a plaque in the Brandon Center playroom, renaming it the Max Martinez Child Care Center.
Tickets for this year’s show go sale Thursday at . Or call Allison Kuthy, 720-264-3333.
Around town.
Amber Borowski Johnson, editor of The Denver Post’s Mile High Mamas blog, describes why Denver is such a great place to live in the Woman’s Day magazine that hits newsstands Tuesday. … Kari Kisch, the makeup artist responsible for transforming Colorado Ballet dancers into vampires — cosmetically speaking, of course — shows how she does it at a luncheon that begins at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday in the Ellie Caulkins Opera House Chambers Grant Salon. The $30 ticket includes admission to a dress rehearsal of Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” immediately after. Sign up via e-mail: specialevents@coloradoballet . . . . The Junior League Holiday Mart starts its four-day run at 4 p.m. Thursday at the Denver Merchandise Mart. Special events include Frosting, a champagne reception and silent auction where one lucky guest will win a 3/4-carat diamond from Douly’s Jewelry; cooking demonstrations and a “Gabby Gourmet” live radio broadcast. Learn more at . . . . Friday’s the deadline to submit nominations for the Triumphant Women that Excelsior Youth Center will honor at its 2011 fundraising gala. Candidates are women who’ve beat seemingly insurmountable odds to succeed and become role models. Details: .
Joanne Davidson: 303-809-1314 or jdavidson@denverpost.com; also, and GetItWrite on Twitter
